


crashing through

by firetruck



Category: Free!
Genre: AU, F/M, Gen, Multi, Synesthesia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-20
Updated: 2014-08-24
Packaged: 2018-02-14 00:17:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2170764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firetruck/pseuds/firetruck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>she can taste the words that fall from people's tongues. sometimes they taste like caramel, and sometimes they taste like a bitter lime. his name doesn't taste like anything. but she loves the taste of his friend's words, because they melt on the tip of her tongue and rush down her throat. but sometimes, she doesn't want to taste. she just wants to feel. </p><p>//AU where gou and haruka both have synesthesia</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. peppermint

**Author's Note:**

> this is something i whipped up real quick when i did some research on synesthesia. i'll add more notes later bc i'm just dropping this here for now! enjoy

Words and sounds have always had different tastes. ‘Next’ tasted like a ripe banana, and ‘jail’ tasted like raw bacon. Static noise from a radio paired with the flickering of a TV always tasted like gasoline. If you put ten people into a room and they all started talking at once, the tastes would mix together and becoming so overwhelming that one would have to leave. Of course, not everyone can taste words, but at the time, it seemed normal. 

Gou rolled her pencil around between her fingers, listening absentmindedly to her best friend, Chigusa. The excitement in her voice was noticeable, and Gou could tell because they tasted strongly like lemon pie, when they usually tasted faintly of berries. She would be the first one to admit that she chose her friends by how their name tasted on her tongue and the flavor of their words. Chigusa’s name was pure, soft caramel, and Gou could tell that she spoke sincerely when she said she wanted to be friends. 

The first time she realized not everyone could taste words was when she was still young. Puzzled, she asked her brother why his friend’s name didn’t taste like anything, and why his words only tasted like water with the occasional dash of peppermint. He had looked at her weirdly before muttering how he didn’t know what she was rambling on about before dashing out of the house. As she grew older, she realized that no one around her could taste things quite like she could. Gou didn’t think of it as a curse or a disease, though--merely an enhancement added to her life for no particular reason. 

When she first entered school and the teacher called her name, a bitter taste filled her mouth, worse than the tastes she had experienced before. ‘Gou’ was such an ugly name for a girl--it tasted of mold and soured candies. ‘Kou’ tasted much better. It was pretty sounding, and had the refreshing taste of a sea breeze mixed with sweets. From then on, she decided that her new name would be ‘Kou’. 

Strangely enough, she couldn’t taste words if they were written down or if she was the one speaking. Spoken rapidly enough, words would also loose their taste. 

“I’ve got to go now. Swim club is starting.” 

“I’ll see you around, Gou!”

She cringed. No matter how many times she told Chigusa to stop calling her that, it seemed as if the girl would always ignore her. Waving a goodbye, she packed up her books and dropped them in her bag, exiting the classroom. Gou made her way quickly through the busy hallways, doing her best to block out the barrage of words and tastes flooding her senses. Breathing a sigh of relief once in the locker rooms, she changed into her tracksuit and headed out, her trusty clipboard in her hands and a pen tucked behind her ear. 

Makoto saw her coming, and he waved at her with a smile. She smiled back and jogged over, greeting him with her usual enthusiasm. His friendly exchange with her (that tasted of honey, by the way), was quickly interrupted when a certain member of the club dived into the pool and caused Nagisa to begin laughing. 

“Haru-!” 

Tasteless. Gou frowned. Haruka Nanase’s name had no taste. Neither did his words. They tasted only of water, and if any emotion leaked into his words, they only left a faint tinge of peppermint on her tongue. Frankly, it bothered Gou that she could not taste his name, because she could taste everything else. 

“Gou-chan!” 

“Call me Kou! Kou!” 

“Nagisa, I advise that you call Miss Kou by her preferred name. She looks like she’s about to come over and wring your neck. That would not be beautiful.” 

“Aw, Rei-chan, Gou-chan would never do something like th--Just kidding! Let’s go swim, Rei-chan! See you later!” 

Hastily backing away under her murderous glare, the duo took their positions and began practice. The only one left was Makoto, who had watched the events unfold. With a kind smile, he turned to Gou. 

“Does it really bother you that much when people call you that..? O-Oh, you don’t have to answer! I’m sorry if that was too personal!”

“..No, it’s alright. It just tastes bad.” 

“Huh...?” 

“Never mind! You should g-go practice now.” 

With an unsure nod, Makoto left her alone with her clipboard and her jumble of thoughts. She wasn’t sure if she wanted him to know or not. Would he even believe her? It’s ridiculous, after all--who could taste words? Not normal people. Not anyone. Yet here she was, claiming all sorts of ridiculous things--how the name ‘Makoto’ tasted like soothing hot tea, and how the name ‘Sakura’ tasted like those cherry popsicles she had last summer. No one would believe her. No one in their right mind, anyways. 

Practice ended uneventfully, and Gou was ready to make her way home and take a long nap when none other than Haruka Nanase walked up to her, a damp towel draped over his head. He was silent for a moment, simply looking at her. As the situation quickly grew uncomfortable, he slid his gaze away and a puff of breath left his lips. 

“I think Gou tastes better than Kou.” 

His words tasted strongly of peppermint.


	2. honey and tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> makoto texts gou a lot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //notes will be added later

[Makoto: So, you can actually...taste..words?]

[Gou: ..Yeah.] 

[Makoto: That includes people’s names and stuff, right? Can you taste regular sounds too?] 

[Gou: Everyone’s name has a different taste. I don’t usually taste many sounds..]

[Makoto: Wow….]

[Gou: Wait, does this mean you believe me?]

[Makoto: Of course I do! Why would you lie..?]

[Gou: It just seems kind of...weird. I mean, people don’t usually taste words.] 

[Makoto: That’s true. Then I guess it just means you’re special, right? (laughs)] 

[Gou: (laughs) Well, maybe!] 

[Makoto: So...is that why you don’t like your name? Because it tastes bad?] 

[Gou: Yeah..]

[Makoto: What does it taste like?] 

[Gou: …..It tastes like mold and soured candies.] 

[Makoto: What does ‘Kou’ taste like, then?] 

[Gou: A soft sea breeze and sweets.] 

[Makoto: What does ‘Makoto’ taste like..?]

[Gou: Makoto-!] 

[Makoto: (laughs) I’m serious! I want to know what my name tastes like.] 

[Gou: It might taste different if you ask someone else who can taste words.] 

[Makoto: That’s okay.] 

[Gou: Makoto’s name tastes like warm tea on a chilly day. It’s….It’s a very welcoming taste.] 

[Makoto: (blushes) Do my words and voice have tastes, too?] 

[Gou: Yes.] 

[Makoto: What are they?]

[Gou: Usually they taste like honey, but recently, they’ve started to taste more like mint…] 

[Makoto: So tastes of words and voices can change?] 

[Gou: Depending on the emotions the speaker is having.] 

[Makoto: That’s fascinating..]

[Gou: I can usually tell how people are feeling that way. It’s kind of useful sometimes, although I can’t tell what some new tastes mean. I’ve never really tasted mint before, so I don’t know how you’re feeling when your words taste like that.] 

[Makoto: Written words don’t have tastes either, right?] 

[Gou: Nope, they don’t. They don’t taste like anything when I’m speaking either, or when someone speaks very quickly. I’m glad for that, because if they still did, Nagisa could’ve killed me just by rambling a long time ago. (laughs)] 

[Makoto: (laughs) Nagisa is quite the talker. I’m curious--are bad tastes completely unbearable? Like, would you actually avoid someone if their voice or name tasted bad?] 

[Gou: Most of the time, bad tastes are really strong. If it was just their name, it wouldn’t be that bad, because I could shorten it to taste better. For example, if ‘Makoto’ tasted bad, shortening it to ‘Mako’ could make it taste better. I can’t change voices, though, so...I would probably avoid someone who has a bad-tasting voice.] 


	3. vanilla sponge cake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> rei and nagisa find out about gou's synesthesia. haru reveals something about him he's never told anyone, and makoto walks gou home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //chapter notes will be added later

“I’m so sorry, Kou! I fell asleep last night and forgot to reply to your text message!”

His shoulders were slightly hunched and he bowed, feeling his face heat up. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Two small hands plopped themselves gently down on his broad shoulders and he looked up, face still heated.

“It’s fine, Makoto,” she said with a soft smile playing on her lips. He wasn’t sure if the blush on his face was caused by embarrassment or from the fact that she was actually touching him and aiming her smile straight at him. Wordlessly, he could only nod, and she retracted her hands with a giggle.

“Let’s go, or we’ll be late to practice.”

“O-Oh! That’s right! Are you going to tell them?”

“Huh?” “About..you know…”

“…...Oh. Ah, I guess so.”

A hand flew up to smooth out her hair, the other one tugging at her skirt. There was a slight tremble to them, and Makoto would’ve needed to be blind to miss it. Swallowing a lump in his throat, he reached out and grabbed her hands, steadying them.

“Are you okay?”

Your hands are really soft.

“You don’t have to tell them today.”

Ah, geez..they’re so small compared to mine.

“I’ll be here to support you, G-I mean, Kou!”

I should let go now.

“Thank you, Makoto! But I can do it by myself. Hurry up!”

“R-Right!”

* * *

“Ah, yes.” Rei adjusted his glasses for the tenth time. 

“I know about the condition you’ve described, Kou! It’s called synesthesia. Yours is a very particular kind, as a matter of fact. Lexical-gustatory synesthesia, to be precise. Extremely rare. Also--”

“So, you taste words! Super cool, Gou-chan!”

“Nagisa, how could you interrupt--” 

“No! Call me Kou! Kou, Kou, Kou! ‘Gou’ tastes horrible!”

“Ah, I think everyone should just calm--”

“No way, Gou tastes better!”

“Nagisa, you do not have the same condition as--”

“Stop it!”

“Does it taste that bad?” 

“Makoto, bring some dirt and gravel! I’m going to show Nagisa what it tastes and feels like!”

“Kou-!”

“How cruel! Rei-chan, save me!”

“Absolutely not!”

“I have that.”

Four heads swiveled around to stare at Haru, who had just gotten out of the pool. Gou’s breath caught, and Nagisa was the first to bound over to him. 

“Whoa, you taste words too?! How come I never knew?” 

Haru shrugged with one shoulder, a non-committal gesture that signaled the end of the conversation before he turned away and headed into the locker room.

“Did you know about this, Mako-chan? Huh? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“U-Uh, I didn’t know either, Nagisa..”

“Oh….okay! Anyway, what does my name taste like?” 

A grin spread onto his face, Nagisa pushed his face into hers, effectively popping her personal space bubble for the third time that day. Sighing, she rubbed her temples before answering. 

“Sponge cake.”

“What about Rei-chan?” 

“Vanilla.” 

A few feet away, a dejected sigh was heard, followed by mumbles of, “That doesn’t sound very beautiful at all!” punctuated with more sighs. 

“How about--” 

“Well, now that we’ve completely wasted the last ten minutes of practice, we should all probably get home.”

“I’ll walk you home, Kou! It’s getting kind of dark...”

“If you insist, Makoto,” she bowed slightly. “I wouldn’t want to get in your way.” 

“Oh, not at all! I’d be happy to.” 

To the side, Nagisa pestering Rei about the taste of his name, both of them already headed for the exist. Haru had exited the locker room, his gaze landing briefly on the two of them before he gave a pathetic half-wave of sorts and left the area. 

On the walk home, Makoto asked Gou some more questions about tasting sounds. Did he taste okay today? She laughed, confirming that, yes, he did. He mentioned how odd these questions seemed out of context before blushing furiously (as did she), and they spent the entire train ride in silence. As he walked her to the doorstep, Makoto apologized sheepishly and took his leave, only looking back once to see Gou waving goodbye to him.

[Gou: Hello!] 

[Haruka: hi] 

[Gou: Oh, I’m sorry, Haru! I meant to send that text to someone else!]

[Haruka: it’s ok]

[Gou: I hope I didn’t bother you..] 

[Haruka: no]

[Gou: Did you make it home safely?] 

[Haruka: yea]

[Haruka: did you?] 

[Gou: Yes!]

[Haruka: ok]

[Gou: By the way, I didn’t know you have synesthesia too!]

[Haruka: yea. i never told anyone]

[Gou: Why not?]

[Haruka: dunno. just didn’t seem important] 

[Gou: Do you like having it?]

[Haruka: i guess]

[Gou: I heard that everything tastes different with other synesthetes. Is that why you told me Gou tastes better than Kou..?]

[Haruka: yea]

[Gou: What does it taste like…?]

[Haruka: it tastes like the ocean, it tastes like lavender, and it tastes like countless other things. i can’t explain it]

[Haruka: but it feels like home]


	4. rotten eggs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they're caught in the rain and makoto gets to see the disadvantages of synesthesia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> filler chapter, because i wanted to post something

“Really? We were almost there! I can’t believe this is happening.” 

Gou grumbled as she ducked under the roof of the small shelter on the side of the road, Makoto and Haru scrambling in after her, shaking off their backpacks. Their hair was matted to their face, and droplets of water snaked down their backs. Gou shivered slightly and crouched down. 

“I guess we’ll just have to wait until it stops raining,” Makoto muttered, peeling off his damp jacket. 

Haru, as expected, did not seem bothered by the water. Very casually, he looked over at Gou, who flashed him a sheepish smile. 

“Sorry, Haru. We probably could’ve made it if I didn’t stop at that convenience store for more pencils. I probably had some at home, anyways. But they were really cute!” She dug the brightly colored pencils decorated with animals out of her soggy backpack and showed him. “See? How can you resist those cute little animal faces and….Ah, sorry. I’m rambling.”

“It’s okay, Kou. I agree, they are very cute.” 

“Thanks, Makoto! Do you want one?” 

“A-Ah, that’s alright. I don’t need one..” 

“Oh, okay.”

A clap of thunder sounded and she cringed. Making a gagging noise, she shoved the pencils back into her bag and dug around for a water bottle, polishing off half of it in seconds flat. 

“Oh, gross,” she groaned, leaning against the shelter’s wood walls. 

Haru gave her a knowing look and pushed his water bottle towards her. 

“Earwax?”

“Worse. Still-warm rotten eggs and sulfur.” 

“Ew.” 

“Tell me about it.” 

Finally understanding what they were talking about, Makoto asked Haru a question. 

“Does it taste the same for you?”

“No.” 

“What does it taste like?” 

Gou looked up from her drink. 

“I’m curious, too.”

“You know those pens with ink that smell like cherries? Kind of like that. Except it’s just ink.” 

“At least it’s better than rotten eggs,” she sighed. 

“Hm.” 


End file.
